The magadis ()Athenaeus, Deipnosophists, 14.36
/ref> was an ancient Greek musical instrument, possibly a Greek harp or

Lyre The lyre () (from Greek λύρα and Latin ''lyra)'' is a string instrument, stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the History of lute-family instruments, lute family of instruments. In organology, a ...

. It is usually believed to be a stringed instrument similar to a psaltery or

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

, though some earlier sources like the translated fragments of

Posidonius Posidonius (; , "of Poseidon") "of Apameia" (ὁ Ἀπαμεύς) or "of Rhodes" (ὁ Ῥόδιος) (), was a Greeks, Greek politician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, historian, mathematician, and teacher native to Apamea (Syria), Apame ...

discuss arguments that it may have been a woodwind. Modern scholars have mostly accepted the string instrument classification while noting that the evidence from ancient texts "falls well short of proving it." Scholars believe the word may be Lydian in origin.

Background

Archaic writers like Alkman and Anakreon mention both ''magadis'' and ''pektis''. According to Aristoxenos ''magadis'' and ''pektis'' were the same instrument; if this is correct ''magadis'' would have been associated with dancing or serenades as the ''pektis'' was, however, direct literary evidence about the ''magadis'' and its role in society is lacking. Euphorion wrote that the magadis was an ancient instrument, but that in latter times it was altered, and had the name also changed to that of the

Sambuca Sambuca () is an Italian anise-flavoured liqueur. Its most common variety is often referred to as "white sambuca" to differentiate it from other varieties that are deep blue ("black sambuca") or bright red ("red sambuca"). Like other anise-fla ...

. Adding that it was popular on

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of , with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, eighth largest ...

and that a sculptor named Lesbothemis (Λεσβοθέμις), about whom little else is known, depicted one of the

muses In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

holding the ''magadis''. Menaechmus (Μέναιχμος), in his treatise on Artists, said that the pektis (πηκτὶς), which he called identical with the magadis, was invented by

Sappho Sappho (; ''Sapphṓ'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; ) was an Ancient Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. In ancient times, Sapph ...

. Scholars have said it is an invention of the

Lydians The Lydians (Greek language, Greek: Λυδοί; known as ''Sparda'' to the Achaemenids, Old Persian cuneiform Wikt:𐎿𐎱𐎼𐎭, 𐎿𐎱𐎼𐎭) were an Anatolians, Anatolian people living in Lydia, a region in western Anatolia, who spo ...

Thracians The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared betwee ...

. There is a discussion in ''

Deipnosophistae The ''Deipnosophistae'' (, ''Deipnosophistaí'', lit. , where ''sophists'' may be translated more loosely as ) is a work written in Ancient Greek by Athenaeus of Naucratis. It is a long work of Greek literature, literary, Ancient history, h ...

'' ("Sophists at Dinner") about whether the ''magadis'' is a

-like string instrument or a woodwind similar to the ''

aulos An ''aulos'' (plural ''auloi''; , plural ) or ''tibia'' (Latin) was a wind instrument in ancient Greece, often depicted in art and also attested by archaeology. Though the word ''aulos'' is often translated as "flute" or as " double flute", ...

'' or ''

kithara The kithara (), Latinized as cithara, was an ancient Greek musical instrument in the yoke lutes family. It was a seven-stringed professional version of the lyre, which was regarded as a rustic, or folk instrument, appropriate for teaching mu ...

'' with those involved eventually reaching agreement that it was a string instrument. The gathered company then turn to the question of whether the instrument is of Lydian origin beginning a sharp dispute between Athenaeus and

Verses

Anakreon's verse indicates the ''magadis'' was a plucked

string instrument In musical instrument classification, string instruments, or chordophones, are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer strums, plucks, strikes or sounds the strings in varying manners. Musicians play some ...

:Holding the magadis I pluck its twenty strings; But you, Leukaspis, are in the bloom of youth According to Aristoxenos (as quoted by

Athenaeus Athenaeus of Naucratis (, or Nαυκράτιος, ''Athēnaios Naukratitēs'' or ''Naukratios''; ) was an ancient Greek rhetorician and Grammarian (Greco-Roman), grammarian, flourishing about the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd century ...

), the "twenty strings" mentioned by Anakreon would have been plucked without a plectrum. The skill of a ''magadis'' player is described in a

dithyramb The dithyramb (; , ''dithyrambos'') was an ancient Greek hymn sung and danced in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility; the term was also used as an epithet of the god. Plato, in '' The Laws'', while discussing various kinds of music m ...

by Telestes:ᾰλλος δ' ᾰλλαν χλαγγὰν ίεὶς / χεοατόφωνον ὲοέυιζε μάγαδιν / ��νπενταοοάβδω χοοδᾱν ὰονμῶ / χέοα χαμψιδίανλον ὰναστοωψῶν τάχοςEach man hurling forth a different sound from the others Roused up the horn-voiced magadis Turning his hand quickly back and forth across Five-staved joinings of the strings Like a runner at the turning post Scholars have speculated whether "horn-voiced" (''keratophonon'') could be a reference to plucking of strings with a plectrum, or perhaps a reference to the tone of the instrument, or a structural element of the instrument.

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; ; 355/354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian. At the age of 30, he was elected as one of the leaders of the retreating Ancient Greek mercenaries, Greek mercenaries, the Ten Thousand, who had been ...

mentions Thracian soldiers playing ox-hide trumpets (''salpinyxin omoboeias'') in what he calls the "manner of the magadis".

References

{{Greek musical instruments String instruments Archaic Greece Ancient Greek musical instruments